James e



(No Model.)

J. E. SHARING.

WATCH CASE.

N0. 278,609. Patented May yZ9., 1883.

illllllllliil" N. PETERS. Phuxumngmpn". vlammen. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENTv FFICE.

JAMESE. SEARING, OF NE/V YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO IOBBl-NS 8L APPLETON, OF SAME PLACE.

WATCH-CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 278,609, dated May 29, 1883. Application filed December 18.1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES E. SEAR-ING, otl New York city, New York, (assigner to ROB- BINs & APPLE'roN, of the same. place,) haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Watch and Locket Cases, ot" which the following is a speclication.

My improvement applies to the inner hinged parts of watch or locket cases, more particularly to watchcases, and to that class such as patented to E. G; Fitch, April 22, 1878, No. 214,642:I and February 17, 1880, No. 224,670, in which the movement' is held in an outswinging ling which is hinged internally Ato the margin of the inclosing-case, and is thus capable ol' being swung into or out of the ease on said hinge. l

My invention lies, essentially, in an improved form ot' hinge for such purpose, and may he briefly stated to consist in a pintle-lug afiixed to the periphery of the swinging ring or other hinged part, and adapted to lie in pivotal sockets formed on the margin of' the case, with a retaining-plate screwed or fastened to the margin ofthe case, over said pintles and their sockets, whereby a very strong and simple hinge is produced, which is more easily applied to the case, and is less costly than the present form ot'soldered hinge, as hereinafter fully set forth.

The annexed drawings represent fragmentary views of an opeu-faee-watch case, such as vshown in the rst-named patent of Fitch,pro

vided with my improved hinge.

Figure l is a plan View of the-top ofthe case, the bezel and crown being removed. Fig. 2 is a cross-section with the hinged movement-rin g shown partly swung out of .the case. Fig. 3 is a plan view with. the several parts separated to show the construction of the hinge. Fig. 4 shows an inverted plan view and a side elevation of the retaining-plate ot' the hinge on an enlarged scale.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3, a indicates the inclosing-case, which, according to the aforesaid patent, is made in one continuous shell, open infront to receive the movement, and without joints or perforation-s on the back. The top of the case is formed with an inwardly-projectin g or overhanging rim, b, into whichl the ring c lits. vThis ring receives the movement in the usual way, and it is hinged at its outerpe- Y riphery to the inner periphery of the rim b, as

will be understood from Figs. 1 and 2, by means ot' my improved hinge, as will hereinafter appear. The outer periphery of the rim I) is 'screw-threaded, as shown well in Fig. 2,

so -as to receive a correspondingly screwessential to my feature of construction, and

any other form of bezel, lid, or cover, whether forming either an open-face or hunting-case watch, may be. employed. My improved form of hinge has, however, special advantages where the screw-threaded rim is used to reeeive a screw-bezel, and I have hence illustrated and referred to it particularly in this case. Now, by referring to Fig. 1, it will be understood that the axis ot' the hinge must lie in the position of the chord of a circleacross the screw-threaded rim b,- hence when the ordinary form ot' barrellhinge is used, which consists of three intermeshing tubular sections with a pin passing through them, the two outer tubular sections must be soldered across the rim, with a gap between them to receive the central section, which is soldered to the outswinging ring, and the bores ot' the tubes must extend clear through the threaded rim to admit the pintle or axial pin. This construction therefore weakens'the rim and partly mutilates the screw-threads ou its outer periphery, while the soldering of the outer tubes of the hinge in their position across the rim is a troublesome and comparatively expensive operation, and one which can seldom be performed with entire neatness and iinish,its appearance being generally objectionable.

' Now, according to my invention, Idispense entirely with the tubular and soldered fo'rm ot' hinge, and instead of the middle tubular section heretofore soldered to the outswinging ring c, I employ a solid steel pintle, lug,'or block,f, which is attixed to the outer periphery of the ring, nearits upper edge, and is terminated with little pintles or ltrunnions h h, which project laterally therefrom and from the axial pin of the hinge, as shown best in Figs.

2 and 3. This pintle block is preferably secured to the ring cby two ne screws, gg, which are inserted from the inside of the ring and screw into tapped holes `in the block, as

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v casacca indicated in Figs. and 3. Now, on the top ot' specially adapted to watcli-cases ot' the kind the rim I) is formed a crescent-shaped recess, i, whose inner or concave outlineis coincident with the inner periphery ofthe rim, but whose outer or convex outline does not extend far enough out on the rim to intersect its screwthreaded periphery, and hence it does not mutilate its screw-thread, as will be understood. This recess tf is of shallow depth, and extends but a short distance down into the rim, as will be understood from Figs. 3 and 2, while atthe center ofthe recess is a gap,. 7c, which extends completely through therim, as shown, so as to admit the pintle-blockj', as seen in Figs. l and 2. The gap L does not extend out quite to the outer line of the crcsccnt-recess t', and on the door ol' the recess t', on each side ot' said gap land neartheouter line ofthe'rccess, are formed the little semicircnlar pintlc sockets or grooves l Z to receive the little trunnions or pintles h 7i, on the pintle-blockj`, as seen in Fig. 3, also in Figs. l and 2.

In Fig. 3, m indicates a steel plate of crescent shape,which is adapted to titinto the recessl fi, tlush with the top ot' the rim. This plate is gapped at the center to correspond with the gap 7.1 to admit the pintle-block., and on its under side is formed a semicircular groove, n, (see Fig.4,) to correspond with the pintle-sockets l lin the rim and to overlie the pintles 7L 7L when placed therein. Through this plate, on each side of the gap 7b' and on one side ot' the groove n, are formed countersunk holes o o, to receive countersunk head-screwspp, by which the plate may be fastened into the crescent-re cess and over the pintlelugs, as seen in Figs. l and 2, the said screws screwing in to tapped holes in the rim on each side ot'the gap, asseen iu Figs. l and 3; hence when thering c has been placed within the case c, and the trunnions of itspintle-lugfare placed in the sockets l, by screwing the plate m over the same, as seen in Figs. l and 2, the ring c becomes hinged to the rim ofthe case in a very strong and simple manner, which allows a free l1ing ing or swinging movement of the ring, yet holds the parts in perfect connection and does not mutilate the screw-threaded periphery ot' the rim b, while it gives atinished appearance to the face ot' the case. I'n addition to these advantages the construction is much cheaper than the soldered barrel-hinge, and all the parts of the improved hinge can be made by machinery, which insures perfect lits and enables t-heparts to be replaced or interchan ged in case of breakage, thus rendering repairs simple and perfect whenever necessary.

The described parts of the hinge might be made of other metal than steel; but steel is much preferable for sake of strength, and forits appearance, when oxidized to the blue-teinper color, to contrast with the precious metal ot' thc case. Instead of fastening the parts by l the screws described, anyother suitable fast ening may be employed; but the screws are preferable.

AI have described the improved hingeas specitied; but it of course may be applied to the corresponding part of any watch or locket case for which it is found adapted. I have also described the pintle-lng as fixed on the outswinging ring or lid, with the socket and retaining-plate on the case; but thc positions ot' these parts might be reversed, in some instances, without departing from the invention, although such reversal would, in most in stances, be objectionable, and it is therefore not recommended.

In some cases themovement might be hinged directly to the rim b ofthe case,instead ot' being held in a movement-holding ring, c; but a hinged movement or a hinged bezel would obviously be an equivalent 'for the ring c, as the ilnprovcd hinge would bc applied to each of said parts in substantially the same way and with .precisely the same effect.

1. In a watch or similar' case formed with an inwardly-projecting rim, b, having a gap, k, on its inner periphery, and a pintle socket or sockets, I, on its upper face, the combination, with the internal outswinging part or'ring, c, provided with a lug, f, projecting' from its outer periphery, adapted to enter the gap 7s, and formed with a projecting pintle or pintles, It, to seat in said sockets, of a retainingplate, in, fastened onto the upper face ot' said rim, over'said sockets, substantially as and for the purpose set t'orth.

2. A watch or similar case formed with a rim, b, having a recess, fa', and pintle-socket l, in combination with an outswinging part, c, provided with a projecting pintle, h, to fit in said socket, and the overlying plate m, adapted to tit into said recess and fasten to said rim, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. A watch or similar case formed with a. raised rim, b, having` the recess 'i within its outer periphery and intersecting its inner periphery, with a swinging part,'c, iitting into said rim,and provided with a projecting' trunnion, h, adapted to seat or socket in the base of said recess, with an overlying' retaining plate fastened to said rim in said recess, substantially as herein shown and described.

et. A wat-ch or similar case formed with the rim b, having a crescentshaped recess, fi, in combina-tion with the outswinging part c, provided with a projecting pivot, h, to seat on the base of said recess, near its outer edge, with the overlying crescent-shaped platem,fastened to said rim within said crescent-recess fi, substantially as herein shown and described.

5. The combination, with the appropriate parts of a watch or similar case formed substantially as set forth, of the pintle-lug j' lL and its fastening-screws g g with the retaining-plate m and its scrcwspp, substantially as herein set forth.

\Vitnesses: JAMES E. SHARING.

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